New Jersey S 2456: Requires school bus drivers and school bus aides to call 911 emergency line in potential life-threatening emergencies; requires certain school buses transporting students with disabilities to be equipped with certain safety features.*

Bill Text

S2456 1R 

[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 2456 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Senator ANTHONY M. BUCCO

District 25 (Morris and Passaic)

Senator PATRICK J. DIEGNAN, JR.

District 18 (Middlesex)

Co-Sponsored by:

Senators Corrado, Singleton, McKnight, Moriarty, Holzapfel, 
Burgess, Henry and Beach

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires school bus drivers and school bus aides to 
call 911 emergency line in potential life-threatening emergencies; requires 
certain school buses transporting students with disabilities to be equipped 
with certain safety features.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� As reported by the Senate Budget and Appropriations 
Committee on June 24, 2026, with amendments.

��

An Act 
concerning school bus safety, amending various 
parts of the statutory law, supplementing chapter 39 of Title 18A of the New 
Jersey Statutes and Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, and making an 
appropriation.

���� Be It 
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of 
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� Section 1 of P.L.2018, 
c.160 (C.18A:39-19.1a) is amended to read as follows:

���� 1. a.� As used in this 
section, "employer" means a board of education or a contractor that 
provides pupil transportation services under contract with a board of 
education.

���� b.��� An employer shall ensure 
that all school bus drivers [and] 1[,] and1 school 
bus aides1[, and other 
school bus personnel subject to the provisions of sections 4 through 6 of 
P.L.��� , c.���� 
(C. ) (pending before the 
Legislature as this bill)]1 
are properly trained for the functions of their positions.

���� c.���� An employer shall 
administer a safety education program for all permanent and substitute school 
bus drivers [and] 1[,] and1 school 
bus aides1[, and other 
school bus personnel subject to the provisions of sections 4 through 6 of 
P.L.��� , c.���� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill)]1 
that it employs.� At a minimum, the training shall include:

���� (1)�� student management and 
discipline;

���� (2)�� school bus accident and 
emergency procedures;

���� (3)�� conducting school bus 
emergency exit drills;

���� (4)�� loading and unloading 
procedures;

���� (5)�� school bus stop loading 
zone safety;

���� (6)�� inspecting the school 
vehicle for students left on board at the end of a route; 1[and]1

���� (7)�� the use of a student's 
education records, including the employee's responsibility to ensure the 
privacy of the student and the student's records, if applicable1; and

���� (8)�� understanding 
behaviors or other signs that may indicate circumstances in which a potential 
life-threatening emergency, as defined in section 4 of P.L.��� , c.���� 
(C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), is occurring on a 
school bus1.

���� d.��� In addition to the 
training requirements in subsection c. of this section, an employer shall 
administer to school bus drivers a safety education program that includes 
defensive driving techniques and railroad crossing procedures.

���� e.���� The employer shall 
administer the safety education program set forth in subsections c. and d. of 
this section twice per calendar year.

���� 1f.�� An 
employer shall require a school bus driver and school bus aide to file a 
certification with the employer that the individual has completed the training 
program within five days of its completion.� The employer shall retain a copy 
of the certification for the duration of the individual�s employment.� A board 
of education shall forward a copy of the certification to the Department of 
Education.� A contractor providing pupil transportation services under contract 
with a board of education shall forward a copy of the certification to the 
board of education to which the contractor is providing services, and the board 
shall then forward the certification to the Department of Education.1

(cf: P.L.2018, c.160, s.1)

���� 2.� Section 1 of P.L.2015, 
c.123 (C.18A:39-19.2) is amended to read as follows:

���� 1.��� The Commissioner of 
Education shall develop a training program for school bus drivers [and] 1[,] and1 school 
bus aides1[, and other 
school bus personnel subject to the provisions of sections 4 through 6 of 
P.L.��� , c.���� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill)]1 
on proper procedures for interacting with students with [special needs] disabilities.� 
The training program shall include, but 1[need]1 
not be limited to, the following:

���� a.���� appropriate behavior 
management;

���� b.��� effective communication;

���� c.���� use and operation of 
adaptive equipment; [and]

���� d.��� understanding behaviors 
that may be related to specific disabilities; and

���� e.���� understanding 
behaviors or other signs that may indicate circumstances in which a potential 
life-threatening emergency, as defined in section 4 of P.L.��� , c.���� 
(C.������� ) (pending before the L